Oh my goodness this last week we had Zone Conference and it was awesome! I got to participate in a special musical number. Apparently all those duets with Kimmer have paid off, so THANK YOU KIMMER!!!! 😊 We sang "Joseph Smith's First Prayer", but with a twist...we sang it to Sister Mühlestein's fav hymn, "If I Could Hie to Kolob". OH MY GOODNESS, y'all it was so beautiful! The spirit was so strong. Those are two of my favorite hymns. Oh I just love this gospel!!! We talked about different ways that we can be more effective tools in the Lord's hands. It's was awesome. We have some of the greatest Zone Leaders! Elder Casto & Elder Limary love the work & are committed to this important duty. Seriously so stellar. As well as my leaders when I was in Morton. I love my mission for many reasons. One is that I've met some of the GREATEST people I've EVER known. I'm telling you...God really knows what he's doing. I love him!
At zone conference we heard of 2 missionaries who thought it would be cool to pick up and pet some squirrels, but then they got bit. 😂😂😂🐿🐿🐿🐿 It reminded me of the time Skyler picked up the "dead squirrel" with a ziplock bag cause she felt sorry for it after Cali ( the cat) almost killed it. Then it bit her and she had to go to the ER. Thanks for making me laugh from 1000s of miles away Skyler ! 😂👌🏾
Also some missionaries tried to set a trap to catch squirrels cause they thought it was cool. They saw they had caught something, but it was super dark outside. Psych...it was a skunk, and they both got BLASTED. So basically ... just leave Mother Nature alone.
Some miracles this week :
- 80 degrees November 1. Wahoo...the same EVERYDAY last week. Sooo nice!!!
- Chipotle miracle. We almost sat inside but thank goodness we didn't, cause we met the coolest family....A mom and dad and two young kids. There was a difference about them. You could see the countenance in the family's eyes! You could see and feel the light. We started talking to them and they are of the Nazarene denomination. The man works at the local religious college here. They recently had a loved one pass on. As we were about to leave the Spirit hit me sooooo strong ..."YOU NEED TO GIVE THEM A PLAN OF SALVATION PAMPHLET". I was sooo scared. I don't know why, because I've been doing this for 10 months now. I gulped and explained a little about the pamphlet and bore my testimony of this wonderful plan of happiness. They accepted it, and we went our separate ways. I know we were there that night to meet them. I am grateful Heavenly Father helped me muster the courage to do so.
- I saved a members home from a spider who decided to come in...with my own two hands... then let it go outside. My comp said, "what if you get bit again?" 😂😂😂😂😁 Yeah I knew I'd be fine. God helps us out ... I didn't kill nature and therefore I didn't get bit. Lol and also the members were super impressed. It was funny. We gained more trust so that was cool. Haha.
- Stanley is quite the character. Last night we met and he was talking about how much this world is going to "heck"🔥🔥. He said "it's ridiculous, because we used to be able to just fist fight each other. Now we just seem to get guns and kill one another. I told him we (he and I) could have a fight right there in his garage. The member with us said, "be careful she's from Texas" 😂😂😂😂 Seriously, I think I've gotten more Texas jokes in 10 months than ever before in my life. I just went with it and told him we could bring a bull in and fight with it. He seemed to be scared, so I told him we could slowly work out what to do and just get our boxing gloves on. Oh my he sure is a hoot. He's awesome. I know he and his wife Leanne will be baptized one day. We might be going back out there on my day of birth 🎈🎈🎈🎉🎁 IT JUST cracks me up everyone is soooo excited I'm from Texas.
We had a very special Regional Conference yesterday...broadcast from SL.
Devin g. Durant:"the best way to become a better teacher is live a Christlike life." I've found this is so true. It's not always easy, but when we live like the Savior, we are happier and more effective instruments in his hands. I love being a missionary and love the opportunity to learn how to become a better teacher, and then ACTUALLY DO IT. One of my fav quotes:"do the best you can until you know better ,and then do better". That is what I do each day. I try to do as the Savior would do. I've seen my life dramatically change as I've done so. It's so worth it!
Throughout the course of my mission I've had many people ask me
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO SERVE A MISSION? Here's a little story about how my life got turned NWOD EDISPU (upside down)...in a good way of course.
I've always wanted to serve. Then different life events reconfirmed my DEFINITE NEED to serve a full time mission. I got the opportunity to stay at the Guatemala MTC when I was 12 and meet members there while my grandfather served as CCM President! The members there didn't have much, but they have enough because they have the Restored GOSPEL of Jesus Christ in their lives. They have their forever families, so they have enough.
Same in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, at age 19. I love my Guatemalans and Catrachos, because they helped me gain a stronger testimony that the church is so true. In Honduras I worked with a non profit organization called OLAAT, One Life At A Time, that teams up with the church for those who wanna go on missions & university, but have limited resources. I was again so beyond impressed by the faith of these dear saints who worked hard so they could serve a mission and better themselves and their loved ones and those around them. (FYI-- if ANY of y'all have a desire to serve on a mission trip, just lemme know. Cause I just happen to know a guy ;) It'll change your life FOREVER!!!) It's not easy for any of us, but for them it was immensely hard. Yet they did it because they KNOW the gospel is true. They're truly converted. When I saw that I knew what I was missing. I really wanted to be truly converted too! They inspired me again to go serve a Mission.
Around 16, I got an opportunity to go on splits in California with awesome Sister Monson & Egbert... 2 of the BEST companions EVER. 😊 We went to visit a man named Bill, who kept making excuses about things the sisters said. At the end of the lesson, the sisters asked if I had anything I wanted to say. My heart kinda freaked out because I had NO clue what to say, but the scripture Matthew 7:7 popped into my head. I simply bore testimony of how I knew he would receive answers to his prayers as he was sincere and he followed the scriptures guidance. The spirit was stronger than ever before. He told me I changed his life and that I needed to serve a mission so I could change people's lives like I did his. I was STUNNED. I didn't feel like I was listening, and yet God helped me know exactly what to say. And exactly what Bill needed.
I told him I was already planning on it, but again my answer was confirmed I needed to serve a full to mission! The spirit is so strong if we are really listening.
I've also seen so many close friends and family members fall away from the church, so I wanna be out here to find those who have lost their way just as my loved ones have. That's a little big piece of WHY I chose to come here.
The following is one of my favorite hymns because I know what it teaches is true. I KNOW when we put Jesus Christ as each of our personal foundations things WILL work out. I love that the Savior is our firm foundation. With him we won't falter or crack. He is the ONLY WAY. I LOVE HIM.
How Firm a Foundation
1.
How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior,
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
2.
In ev’ry condition—in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,
At home or abroad, on the land or the sea—
As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.
3.
Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand
FOR THOSE OF Y'ALL DECIDING TO GO ON A MISSION..... (and for everyone else, of course)...Missionary life is a LOT harder than anyone prepares you for. It's made me think a lot about how it is like life. Life is VERY HARD. No one can prepare you for that, but it's through the experiences of hardship and joy that we find our greatest happiness. And why is that? Well it's all because we get to experience just a sliver of what Jesus Christ experienced and for that I am eternally grateful.
The Illinois Chicago west mission is the best. I love being a missionary. I hope ALL Y'ALL continue to seek for the happiness that life's lessons teach us. Never forget, "two men look through self same bars. One sees mud while the other sees stars." LOOK FOR THE GOOD. I wanna challenge everyone to Look for the good even in their darkest hours.
Til next time --
Hermana Ällowitz 🐿
Stanley and his wife Leanne. Wonderful wonderful people.
